The present invention is directed to a method and a device for mounting a rotating member. In particular, the present invention is directed to a source of radiation and, more particularly the mounting of a rotating anode in an X-ray tube and a method for manufacturing a part of this device. The rotating anode tubes are X-ray emitting tubes used mainly in mammography, although their use can be envisaged in other fields of radiology, especially tomodensitometry. In mammography, the conditions of the examination require the patient to place his or her breast on a breast-support tray. An X-ray emitting device, generally placed on a vertical column that bears the breast-support tray, is placed close to the patient's head. This proximity not only dictates particularly strict constraints of electrical installation, but also requires that the X-ray tube should not vibrate, so as not to inconvenience the patient during an examination that moreover is a stressful experience. These vibrations are noisy. In general, they are especially present as the sheathing of the tube is metallic and is itself sensitive to vibrations.
In practice, an X-ray tube with rotating anode has an anode rotating at high speed. The anode is positioned so that, on one side, it faces a cathode and, on the other, a window that is vacuum-tight but enables the passage of the emitted X-rays. The rotation of the anode is prompted by a rotor working by means of bearings. The rotor drives the rotating anode to which it is fixedly joined. Despite all the efforts made to balance this rotating part, there are imbalances that contribute to making the entire tube vibrate. The shaft is fixed in the tube by being fixed at both its ends. The shaft is thus fixed to a first structure, namely a first part of the sheathing of the tube, on one side and to a second structure, namely a second part of the sheathing, on the other side. The two structures are then linked to each other. If the linking of the structures is rigid, such an assembly leads to a hyperstatic condition in the holding of the shaft and, at a mechanical level, it entails breaks that are unacceptable. To overcome this drawback, one end of the shaft is mounted in a structure that is, in principle, the lightest and/or least rigid type of structure, using a ring that allows certain degrees of freedom. The rings used, which generally have a squirrel-cage shape, are elastic but have the drawback of not being reusable. Indeed, the rings are deformed because they have to be force-fitted when mounted in a structure, before the insertion of a shaft end. Furthermore, the insertion of the rings themselves requires an exertion of considerable force during assembly.
The value of the rings is that they resolve the problems related to the hyperstatic condition and furthermore allow the expansion caused by the heating of the anode. However, they do not resolve the problem of vibrations, which continue to be a source of problems for the patient and may even lead to faulty precision in the radiological images acquired.